A new teamwork tool for LA.

I was thinking that LA really could benefit from a teamwork tool. So I thought "what would be vital to teams that only an LA could really excel at using". Then I remembered the zip lines from PS1's cave fights.

My proposition? Allow LA to buy (with certs) a utility item that takes up the same slot as C4. This item allows you to deploy a zip line beacon that connects to it's partner beacon once it's deployed. The two beacons must be within LOS of each other and would have a limited range of about 50m or so.

This allows LA to plant a beacon on the ground level, jet pack up to a location, and plant a second beacon. Thus allowing other infantry to follow the LA over walls and up cliff faces. Beacons could also help expedite troop movement by being placed along flat surfaces and allow infantry to catch a faster ride between point A and B.

Limitations would be an LA could only carry a maximum of 2 zip line pairings. The first pair would cost 200 cert points, the second pair 500. Zip line pairs would also cost about 100 cert points per pair and are consumed when deployed.

The beacons would be destroyable, destroying one of the pairs sends a blast of energy down the zip line which would instantly kill anyone traveling on the zip line at the time, and also destroys the other end as well. Players could jump off a zip line at any time during travel, and would travel at roughly twice the sprinting speed.

“sounds cool but overpowered as well.
why have walls in the first place if you could just have a LA breach it?
LAs know know borders.”

That is a very silly question, and if you thought about it for just a little bit, you'd know why.

Right now LA are the only ones that can overcome walls, period. Everyone else has to go through the gates and choke points. If LA had this tool then they could set up alternative (and riskier) paths for friendly troops to take.

Only effective for your squad. And that only to get your squad into a general area. Planting one behind enemy lines can cause some chaos but as a teamwork action, not that useful unless your squad is all over the map. In which case you were a bad SL to begin with.

Have you ever used a spawn beacon? They put your squad members exactly where they want to go (especially for verticals targets.)

I'm not agains the idea of ziplines, it's interesting, but it may be overpowered. Limited uses could balance it but LA spam would probably override that. But spawn beacons/instant action/drop pods already will shoot your squad over the wall. Jus not nearly as effective as LA due to cycle time.

“Have you ever used a spawn beacon? They put your squad members exactly where they want to go (especially for verticals targets.)

I'm not agains the idea of ziplines, it's interesting, but it may be overpowered. Limited uses could balance it but LA spam would probably override that. But spawn beacons/instant action/drop pods already will shoot your squad over the wall. Jus not nearly as effective as LA due to cycle time.”

They put your members precisely where they want to go. However this holds all the same flaws and problems that air drops in WWII do. If you aren't exact in your directions, if your team isn't trained well enough, you end up scattered behind enemy lines and easy meat for enemies to take you out. Cluster yourselves too closely and you could end up crushing one another.

Zip lines just provide a breach to enemy defenses. An easily beatable breach no different from siege ladders really.

“Most likely waaaaaaay too hard to implement. A user created zipline? The coding, the bugs. It would be too much.”

There are easier ways to code it. Portable telepads that have a laser line from point A to B. Transportation wouldn't be instantaneous, instead it would change your view to strait ahead and send you flying. Something that comes to mind is when you use a Phoenix Missile launcher from PS1 and you have control of the missile.

That way if one beacon gets destroyed while your in mid transport, you die. And you still have control of when you jump off, but can't go into those jousts where two opposing empires fly towards each other with guns blazing.

If your team is not well trained/coordinated then they shouldn't be able to do complex intrusion techniques. Still saying that it's one of the more interestig ideas that I've heard of for LA, but it would have to be carefully managed for balance reasons A limited # of uses (like 20 players) and a hefty resource cost (c4 range) might make it more manageable.

The main thing that runs through my head is setting one of these up right next to a sunderer at a wall on an amps station and just rushing the entire army over the wall. There would be little reason to ever do anything other than zipline insertions.

“That is a very silly question, and if you thought about it for just a little bit, you'd know why.

Right now LA are the only ones that can overcome walls, period. Everyone else has to go through the gates and choke points. If LA had this tool then they could set up alternative (and riskier) paths for friendly troops to take.”

actualy its not a silly question and i've thought about it.
place a sunderer in front of a wall, have a LA fly over it, open your ZIP point and voila, the wall is totaly useless. you could rush the base in no time and effort without giving the enemy even the slightest chance to attack. got your zipilne destroyed? well choose another wall then. even a cooldown wont matter because every1 could just switch to an LA and create a new one.
the whole point of walls is to create chokepoints. and since the wall isnt a chokepoint, its usualy way safer and not riskier. why do you think so many LAs fly over walls? because its riskier?
it may become a chokepoint (with a zipline), but thats about it.

the only way i see your idea getting implented, is by giving it to a class who cant fly. this way it would require effort and time. it takes me a few seconds to get over a wall. what do you think will happen if 10 LA open ziplines everywhere? no matter if you can shot it not, the effort it takes to create a new one are basicly zero.

as much as i like the idea itself, gameplay whise its a horrible one because it will render walls kinda useless and create chokepoints to an unlimited and therfore uncontrolable amount.

I play LA exclusively and do not agree with this tool. It is a novel idea in the fact it would be interesting for the first 5 minutes then it would do nothing but cause problems. If you want something for LA give them the ability to LAS targets for heavier bombs from Liberators or something? Where a lib can carry 1-2 really strong bombs but require a constantly marked target for it to hit? I don't know personally, I feel with how easily I blow up generators, flank people, call targets, and blow up maxes/sunderers that I am usefull as I am. It only takes 2 LA to effectively create a NO SUNDY zone where ever you please.

I think the ability (using a suit slot or something similar) that would give an LA the ability to lift another player (infiltrators only) would be cool and force teamwork. It would only get you half as high on the same juice as solo, but think of the interesting tactical possibilities.

1) Use the "spot" function on a teammate to offer them a lift
2) That player can then "interact" with your avatar to lock on to be carried up
3) "interact" again from either the LA or the Inf disengages and drops him.

“actualy its not a silly question and i've thought about it.
place a sunderer in front of a wall, have a LA fly over it, open your ZIP point and voila, the wall is totaly useless. you could rush the base in no time and effort without giving the enemy even the slightest chance to attack. got your zipilne destroyed? well choose another wall then. even a cooldown wont matter because every1 could just switch to an LA and create a new one.
the whole point of walls is to create chokepoints. and since the wall isnt a chokepoint, its usualy way safer and not riskier. why do you think so many LAs fly over walls? because its riskier?
it may become a chokepoint (with a zipline), but thats about it.

the only way i see your idea getting implented, is by giving it to a class who cant fly. this way it would require effort and time. it takes me a few seconds to get over a wall. what do you think will happen if 10 LA open ziplines everywhere? no matter if you can shot it not, the effort it takes to create a new one are basicly zero.

as much as i like the idea itself, gameplay whise its a horrible one because it will render walls kinda useless and create chokepoints to an unlimited and therfore uncontrolable amount.”

Use the same limitations as Sunderers. These things can't be placed within a certain proximity of one another.

Also LA's fly over walls for the element of surprise. It's not safer, it is in fact far riskier because you are leaving your team mates behind to engage the enemy by yourself.

In addition you are using your utility slot which means no C4. The tool connects you with your squad and allows you to move them into the base. It's also a tool that doesn't force the LA to sit still, because a stationary LA is a dead LA. LASE tools would get LA killed as often as not, and what would be the point? Besides Sunderers there aren't that many targets that need such a tool for a Liberator to spot and kill. It's pretty easy for a Liberator to spot and take out virtually anything on the ground.

If we had artillery, that would be a different matter. However I'm fairly certain such tools are going to the Infiltrator class.

“It's not safer, it is in fact far riskier because you are leaving your team mates behind to engage the enemy by yourself.”

This cuts both ways. Enemy infiltrators and LA's love to find groups of us as much as I like finding groups of them. I've also noticed that I'm very seldom alone when going over the wall. Once inside, sure...everyone's doing something different. But on the wall itself and the towers? Plenty of other LA's up there. This is one reason I'm so fond of proximity chat (another thing that cuts both ways if ever there was one). Seeing another LA I'm not grouped with and being able to instantly tell them something's coming or not to fire so they don't give us away...priceless.

“This cuts both ways. Enemy infiltrators and LA's love to find groups of us as much as I like finding groups of them. I've also noticed that I'm very seldom alone when going over the wall. Once inside, sure...everyone's doing something different. But on the wall itself and the towers? Plenty of other LA's up there. This is one reason I'm so fond of proximity chat (another thing that cuts both ways if ever there was one). Seeing another LA I'm not grouped with and being able to instantly tell them something's coming or not to fire so they don't give us away...priceless.”

1) Give them access to underslung GL on all their weapons.
2) Give them exclusive access to jammers for said underslung GL. (meaning ps1 type jammers that would prevent vehicle weapons from firing)
3) Give them the anti vehicle grenades that HA currently has. (they're redundant, you already have a rocket launcher)
4a) Give them a unique support ability/tool so that they are needed. Not having a support ability is the biggest problem with this class.
4b) OR give them the engineers ammo pack and give the engineer an aura they can activate to jump start shield regen (similar to the medics healing aura) in its place.

1) Give them access to underslung GL on all their weapons.
2) Give them exclusive access to jammers for said underslung GL. (meaning ps1 type jammers that would prevent vehicle weapons from firing)
3) Give them the anti vehicle grenades that HA currently has. (they're redundant, you already have a rocket launcher)
4a) Give them a unique support ability/tool so that they are needed. Not having a support ability is the biggest problem with this class.
4b) OR give them the engineers ammo pack and give the engineer an aura they can activate to jump start shield regen (similar to the medics healing aura) in its place.

1) **** no. Grenade launchers are probably due for a nerf due to being stupidly powerful. And you want every gun they have to have access?
2) That could be fun, at least jammer grenades that explode on impact rather then bouncing around uselessly.
3) I've never understood the purpose of these unless they exploded on impact. As it stands the entire concept is both pointless and physically impossible. Oh wait, that's real world physics.
4a) Read the OP? That was the entire point of my suggestion in the first place.
4b) **** no. Ammo pack on LAs were overpowered and they rightly gave them to engineers in the first place.